A Shadow of Memory
by Crazyeight
Summary: The end comes, as it always does. The wheel turns once more and an age comes to an end only to be turned back to its beginning. Over and over, time and time again, the road goes ever on, but not forever.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Call this an experiment of sorts. I'm not at all certain if I'm going to continue this and it might be a bit beyond my current abilities, but this idea has been swimming around in the back of my head for some months now and for the longest time I didn't think it would go anywhere until some days ago, when I got an unexpected spark of inspiration for a handful of chapters for this idea.

The idea for alternate Rika's appearance came from the 'Revenge of Diaboromon' which has a brief appearance of a background character with short, dark hair whose clothing and appearance otherwise bore a striking resemblance to Rika. As to why I brought Lord of the Rings into this? Apart from my interest in the series, I had some ideas floating around in my head that I wanted to try out and to stretch my wings a little, so I want to see how the two fit together with these ideas. Because of the unique nature of this story, at least for me, I'm posting these two chapters for an introduction as a 'proof of concept' and to see if this has any legs and is worth exploring.

Here's to another journey.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Lord of the Rings

A Shadow of Memory

A Digmon/Lord of the Rings Crossover by: Crazyeight

Chapter: 01

Takato Matsuki awoke with a start. Groaning, he rolled onto his side, facing away from the piercing blade of sunlight that stabbed into his vision. A bright green slash shot across the darkness of his closed eyes, and he moaned again painfully. Distantly, he heard the sound of his family's bakery from down below and he sighed at a particularly loud noise, a pot crashing.

"Time to get up," he muttered sleepily, sitting up, knowing full well that if things downstairs were as busy as they sounded, he would get an earful if he stayed in bed a moment longer. "Guilmon, let's go!"

Swinging his legs over the ladder of his bunkbed, he slid down, the heel of his foot hitting one of the lower rungs with a sick bang, causing him to hop on one foot toward his dresser with a muttered curse under his breath.

"Man, this day's already off to a good start," he said, digging through his drawer for a fresh pair of pants. Frowning at the lack of sound behind him, he paused and turned. "Guilmon. Are you u-?"

Nothing.

The crimson-eyed boy blinked, somewhat taken aback by the sight of his room staring back at him, devoid of all life save his own. Once upon a time, this would have been normal for him, but some years ago, a harrowing adventure changed things for him and, indeed, the entire world. While he and a select few still remained something unique, the presence of a crimson-scaled, digital dinosaur named 'Guilmon' – a creature he made himself – in his bedroom was by far the least strange thing to him now, and he couldn't imagine life without his digimon partner anymore. They were, despite attempts to the contrary, for all intents and purposes, inseparable. So, finding a lack of said Guilmon sleeping nearby, while not unusual, unnerved him a bit.

"Huh." Scratching at his messy, bedridden hair, he looked about to make sure that he hadn't missed a spot before shrugging. "Well, even digimon have to use the bathroom sometimes."

Still, a part of him couldn't help but wonder if something had transpired in the night and his partner had been made to return to the digital world that birthed him.

_It wouldn't be the first time._

He gave a light laugh before tugging off his pajama top and grabbed a blue t-shirt along with a white, long sleeved one. Sliding the former over the latter, he put on a pair of pants and went over to his desk, humming softly to himself. The wall had become more crowded in the four years since becoming a digimon Tamer, with drawings showing increasing skill from his earliest, crude sketches from age twelve to more realistic ones at 16. He smiled idly, snatching up various belongings that he would need for his day. Pen and pad of paper for when he needed to quickly sketch out something for later. Goggles…

A pause. _Hang on… _

There then sounded an alarm bell in his mind. His goggles. His familiar, yellow-rimmed goggles that he took with him ever since he first brought Guilmon home were absent from their familiar place on his chair. Like Guilmon, this also wasn't completely unexpected, as he tended to misplace them while being occasionally lazy or exhausted (the latter being more common, his duties as a digimon Tamer involved him battling wild, out of control digimon), but still unusual. He cast his eyes about briefly, only to find now immediate sign of them.

_"Takato!" _came the voice of his mother, breaking him out of his search and causing the boy to jump, startled. _"We could use a hand down here!"_

_ "Coming!" _he called back, his hand groping about his desk for another item of importance. When he couldn't find it, his eyes joined in the search, only to first frown and then widen in growing horror.

_My digivice…!_

Gold-trimmed, white and arc shaped with a screen in its center and a large button below; the device that connected him and Guilmon, bringing them both together both mentally and physically in ways that went beyond what mere words could describe. It was one of the most important things in his life.

And it was gone.

"Oh no…" Takato whispered, scrambling for the ladder to his bed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered his friend, Henry Wong, mention to him once about a rule of 'three.' About once being chance, twice being coincidence, but three times being a pattern. Right there and then, he saw a pattern involving his life as a Tamer. His goggles. His digivice. His _partner. _Missing!

"No, no, no, no, no…" he repeated the word over and over like a mantra, hurling himself up into his bed and throwing his blanket back. Nothing. Not even any unusual weight in the blanket to hint that he carried it up here and it got lost within. Picking up his pillow, he shook at the casing, his desperation growing with each spot he found being empty.

"Guilmon!" His growing fear kicked up another notch. _If my digivice is gone, then…then Guilmon…_

Jumping down from his bed, he raced toward his bedroom door and threw it open. He barely remembered his feet hitting the stairs and the only noise he associated with their jackhammering thuds was that of his heart, banging away painfully in his chest while every synapse in his brain felt they were firing all at once, causing his eyes to pop wide with each passing moment.

"Guilmon!" he called out, hoping beyond hope that his friend was still in this world. _Oh please, oh please… _"Guilmon!"

"What…?" came the voice of his father, Takehiro as he appeared at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes wide with surprise at the sound of terror in his son's voice. "Hey, is everything all right?"

"Guilmon!" Takato panted out. "He's here, isn't he? Please tell me he's here!"

"Guil…who?" Takehiro tilted his head to one side in utter confusion before giving his son a worried smile. "Kiddo, did you wake up from a dream or something?"

Takato's world felt utterly shattered as he heard that. His father didn't know who Guilmon was.

_That's…That's impossible. I brought him home. I couldn't have dreamt that. I…_

The whole world felt as though it were being flipped upside down, leaving him to totter slightly on his feet before he snapped back to attention.

"Uh… Hey, Takato?" Takehiro asked, his worry magnifying at his son's odd behavior. "Are you all right? You didn't hit your head, did you?"

"Takato!" came the voice of his mother now, poking her head in from the bakery section. "It's about time. Were you planning on staying in bed all day or…?"

Takato didn't give his mother time to finish.

"I'm sorry!" he cried, bolting away from his father before he could stop him and ducking past his mother who jumped back, utterly startled by his unexpected act. Barefoot, he raced through the bakery section and toward the doors, which slid open automatically for him. "I'm sorry!" he called back once more before charging off into the crowd. "I'll explain later!"

_"Takato!" _he heard his father's yell whilst losing himself in the throng of people. He wanted to kick himself for making his parents upset like this, but the situation was _serious _now. If the digimon were gone… No. So far it looked to just be Guilmon, though for some reason his parents didn't remember.

Did that mean _no one _knew what a Tamer was? What digimon were?

_What about the others? I've got to find them! I've got to get a hold of them!_

Picking up the pace, he raced towards the park where he and his friends met regularly, determined to solve this situation once and for all.

**### **

"Ouch…"

Takato carefully picked his way through the path of Shinjuku Park, his feet sore from running out into the streets without shoes, and becoming even more so with every rock and twig poking at his soft skin.

"Man, that was really dumb of me," he berated himself before coming to a set of stairs barely kept out of sight by some brush. Pushing past it, he hurried his way up toward the concrete hut he knew lay at the top of the hill, ignoring the tiny pebbles, broken off from the steps due to years of weathering and use, that continued to chastise him for his lack of footwear. Pressing on, he quickly came to the top, where he was greeted by a familiar set of rusty, irony bars. They creaked noisily as he pushed them open, but he found nothing within. It was just as he last remembered seeing it with smooth, stone flooring, paved over by the secret government organization known as Hypnos to hide a portal to the digital world and keep it from growing.

_Only…if none of those things happened, then that would mean this is the original flooring from before Guilmon dug it up,_ he thought, coming to a stop, the cold concrete soothing the tiny aches in his bare skin. His face scrunched up at that, his eyes becoming wet with unshed tears. Guilmon… Guilmon was _gone! _This wasn't a dream. It was all real.

_Again… Just like before when Henry's dad had to send them all back to the digital world. Only this time… This time…_

He wiped an arm over his eyes. If all of this was true, then it also meant that none of the friends he made since becoming a Tamer – Rika, Henry, Ryo and Jeri especially – weren't his friends anymore. Rika and Henry probably wouldn't even know who he was. Even if he could become friends with them again, they would think him crazy for telling them about things like the digital world and how they were all supposed to be Tamers. Even Kazu and Kenta, who he knew for far longer, going as far back as the first grade, would think he had lost his mind. He knew for certain on that, having told them about Guilmon back when digimon were still an unknown to the world.

_What am I going to do though? I can't figure this out on my own. I'm not good at this sort of thing like Henry is, and Rika…_

He paused, thinking briefly on the self-titled 'Digimon Queen' before swallowing, taking stock of his options.

_Okay… Well, I've still got to try _something! _Let's see… unless things are really that different, then I won't be able to get a hold of Henry. He'll be dealing with prep school so he can get into university. Rika should be home though and so is Kazu. Kenta is visiting his grandparents, and Jeri should still be with her parents, so…_

He wrinkled his nose. Of course, if the digimon were gone, there was no guarantee that any of that could be the same. Henry was studying hard to get into Standford University so he could further research digimon and the digital world. Rika… Well, she was certainly studying hard, but like him she wasn't sure what she wanted to be other than a Tamer. In fact, she didn't want to be anything _other _than a Tamer.

_Maybe…Maybe that's where there's hope? _His eyes rose at that and he wiggled his dirt-stained toes, feeling some measure of new vigor coursing through him. If he could reach Rika, or if she was already on his side and aware like he was, then there was a chance that things would be all right. If nothing else, he knew that he couldn't lose as long as she had his back.

_Why wouldn't she remember? _he found himself wondering. _I mean, I seem to for some reason, so that's something, right?_

It occurred to him that if either Rika or Henry or any of the others woke up in a similar situation, they would have tried contacting him.

_Great. And here I am without a phone. Well, I guess I can use a payphone. Um… _He checked his pockets and found that, in his rush to get out of the house he hadn't thought to grab any change.

_Oh, maaan… _He heaved a heavy sigh before steeling himself for the journey ahead. _Well, no rest for the weary. Those thousand steps aren't going to get any shorter unless I get moving. Maybe I should try Henry's place first after all. Even if he's not there, his sister should be, and if she remembers then she can call Rika and we can go from there._

Nodding to himself that he at least had something resembling a plan, he headed off.

**###**

_"Hellooo!" _same a young, feminine voice from the call button outside the main entrance to Henry's apartment complex. In spite of himself, he felt relieved to hear the voice of Henry's younger sister, Suzie. So far it was the first thing all day that had gone right.

"Uh, hi, Suzie. It's Takato. You…" He ran his tongue over his lips. "You remember me, right?"

_Please, oh please remember…_

_ "Um… Who?" _came the feared response. Takato's shoulders sagged and he punched the wall.

_Well, so much for that…_

"N-Never mind. Um… Listen, is your brother Henry there? I really need to talk to him right now."

_Which would make sense only as long as he remembers, and if he doesn't… Which is…starting to seem like that's the case._

_ "I'm sorry," _Suzie replied, a note of suspicion in her voice. _"He's not at home right now. What did you say your name was again? Takashi? Oh! Are you the high schooler who won that Odaiba writing contest? I _love _your digimon story! That was sooo cool!"_

"No, no, I'm just Takato," the teen assured her, scratching the back of his head as he sought to work out a new plan now that this one seemed scuttled. "Um, when Henry gets back, could you have him give me a call? Ah… It's really important." He paused and then gave her his home phone number, figuring that if everything else had been changed so dramatically, he might need to do so as well.

"Do you got it?" he asked once finished.

_"Yeah! Do you want me to give him a message or anything?"_

"Yeah, um… It's about…" He wracked his brains for half a moment. "…digimon? Yeah. I just have some questions for him about digimon."

_"Okay! I'll give it to him next time I see him."_

"Thanks, bye." Takato stood back as Suzie hung up, considering his options. There remained Kazu and Rika, both of whom lay a fair distance away on foot, but were possible to reach.

_Let's try Rika, _he decided finally. If things were as bad as he thought they were, Rika he could at least expect to either have her interest caught or to remember him only as some random weirdo. Of course, there was more to it than that. He _wanted _to see her again. _Needed _to.

Yet, a part of him felt afraid to see her again with the way things were. If she didn't remember him…

His heart thumped painfully in his chest, thinking of his best human friend, and he tightened his fists together before wiping an arm across his eyes before nodding to himself.

"All right," he said to himself. "Let's go."

**###**

The road was long of course, but he knew it well, and he at once relished at the familiar sights and sounds while at the same time feeling the heartache they caused him, knowing what he knew about the situation he found himself in. Here, in this world, he wasn't supposed to have any familiarity with this part of the city or with Rika or her family. He felt a flash of anger at that.

_Who could have done this?_ he wondered. No answer, of course, came to him, but it didn't stop his mind from directing itself toward possibilities. Everything from aliens and time travelers, to evil digimon bent on world domination, as seemed to be the habit of that world from time to time.

_Heck, for all I know it could be a clock program that evolved like the D-Reaper did and turned back time on us. If that's the case…then…the digital world is gone? _He paused, looking up at the clear blue sky, imagining the world that lay beyond it, meshed within the dimensional warp that flowed between the Earth's vast communication network, gone because there were no Tamers to save it.

_But if that were the case, wouldn't the D-Reaper have come through to destroy us too? _The logic, though not normally something he tended to pull off as well as Henry, felt sound to him, and he had a sense that even Rika would have felt it made sense. Uncharacteristically so coming from him, but sense nonetheless. If this truly was time travel and things had been changed so completely, what would have happened – _actually _happened – without the Tamers there to safeguard the world?

Turning a corner, he spotted the entrance to the large, thick gate that was Rika's home. He swallowed.

_Moment of truth._

Coming to a stop in front of the door, he raised a hand to knock, only to falter as it abruptly opened up in front of him and he found himself staring into a surprised set of violet eyes.

"Takato?" the girl blinked, and Takato did likewise. It was Rika, or at least the face was right. Her hair on the other hand was _completely_ different. Where before he remembered it as a burning, red color with golden streaks, all tied back into a pineapple-like ponytail, framing her heart-shaped face like the rays of a sunset. Now he saw short, closely cropped hair, almost boyishly cut, and completely black. No ponytail in sight as far as he could see. And her shirt…

His eyes dropped down. She wore a black t-shirt with a red, broken-heart symbol emblazoned on her chest.

Seeing his gaze, she narrowed her violet eyes and crossed her arms together, cutting his sight off from the broken heart.

"Something wrong again with my shirt?" she asked heatedly.

_Well, that's something that at least hasn't changed…_

"N-No! It's just…" he stammered out before realizing something. "Wait, you recognize me?"

Rika lifted an eyebrow at that, perplexed by this response and she gave him a once over, her eyes hovering over his shoeless feet.

"Of _course, _I recognize you!" she replied, a hurt look crossing her face before rapidly losing it to growing anger. "Jeez, what's with you? I got a call from your house just now! Your mom is freaking out because you bolted from the place and yelling like you had lost your mind! Are you _trying _to make her worried?!"

He barely heard her however. Tears stung at the corners of Takato's eyes. Yes, this was Rika all right. A little different perhaps, but this was _definitely _her. Overcome with emotion, he swept her up in his arms, unmindful of her surprised yelp and held her close to him.

"Oh man, I thought I _was _losing my mind! Rika, I woke up and Guilmon was gone and so were my digivice and goggles and my parents didn't know who Guilmon was! Then I went to Henry's place but Suzie didn't know who I was…"

"Whoa! T-Takato! Slow…" She grunted suddenly at his tight grip and he abruptly lifted her off her feet. _"Put _me down!" she quickly amended. "Jeez… Will you try making sense for half a second?! Takato! My parents…!"

"Good morning, Takato," came a voice the boy didn't recognize, but its musical quality struck him and brought him up short. Setting Rika down, he turned and saw a tall man with dark hair smiling at him with what could only be called amusement. Tilting his head to one side, he tickled his memory for something that could help him place a name with the face before him, but for the life of him he had no idea who he was.

Fortunately, Rika was more than willing to help with that.

"S-See, Dad?" she stammered out while sporting a massive blush upon her face. "I told you that he would be all right. He's just a little goofball, that's all. It's why he needs someone like me to keep an eye on him." She glanced back down at his feet and scowled fearsomely. "Seriously? You walked _all _the way here like that? You better have a _good _reason for freaking out your mom like that and making me worried!"

"Dad…?" Takato's eyes widened in stunned shock, and the man furrowed his brow at him, as if he saw something about the boy that he missed earlier. Leaning forward, he clasped hold of Takato's shoulder, and at once their eyes locked.

_That… This can't be real! Rika's dad… He left her back when we were still kids! He…_

His eyes fluttered, and at once he saw a number of flickering images in his mind; his many battles with digimon and the D-Reaper; of his first encounter with Rika, her red hair shining in the sun of the park.

The man smiled and he nodded, as if to himself.

"You feel all right now," he said, and at once Takato did, tension running out of his body in one mad rush. "Do you normally have bad dreams like that?"

"I… N-No. I…" Takato shook his head. "That…wasn't a dream, and neither was Rika."

"I'm what now?" the dark-haired girl asked sharply, her earlier blush deepening. Her hand went straight to his forehead, pushing aside his locks. She pressed her lips together into a tight, thin line. "Stupid… Only _you_ could act like you're being this delusional without a fever."

"I'm…I'm _not _sick!" Takato protested, his own face heating up now. "I just…" He bit back his final response, remembering that things were different now, wherever he was. A different world. That had to be the case.

_I'm really alone here. _The weight settled heavily on his shoulders. This Rika wasn't the Rika he knew, however close they might be in this world. There was no way that she would believe him.

Both Rika and her father looked at him curiously, waiting for his answer, and when it became apparent that he wouldn't – much to Rika's growing irritation – the man nodded.

"I've got to get going," he said finally before turning to Rika. "I've got some old shoes and socks he can have. The ones your mother's been telling me to throw out for months now. Set him up and make sure he's all right before sending him off." Leaning forward, he gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you tonight."

"Later, Dad," she smiled, and with that, the man headed off. Once he was far enough, Rika turned a baleful gaze at him.

"All right, you goofy little _Muffinhead!" _she said fiercely. "What's going on?"

"N-Nothi-! Wait, _Muffinhead?! _Is that what you call me?"

"Oh for goodness sake…" Rika rolled her eyes and snatching him up by the wrist, promptly began to drag him towards the house. "Grandma!" she called out. "I'll have some of that tea after all! Takato's being a Muffinhead again!"

_Oh man… Just what have I gotten myself into? _Takato wondered, throwing a look over his shoulder in the direction her father had taken.

7


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Lord of the Rings

A Shadow of Memory

Chapter: 02

Rika sat across from Takato; arms folded together with a finger tapping on her forearm impatiently while she eyed Takato beneath her black bangs.

"Well?" she asked. "It's not going to bite you know."

Takato looked away from her familiar piercing eyes and down at the cup of tea in front of him, steam rising from its interior.

Tea. He had never drunk tea with Rika before. At least, not the Rika he remembered. He wondered if she counted it among the myriad of 'stupid things' that were boring or dumb to do. He wouldn't be surprised if that were the case and if true portrayed another stark difference between this Rika and the one he had known thus far.

Taking a deep breath, he cautiously lifted the cup and blew on it before taking a sip. A touch of mint graced his tongue and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh! This is…_good!"_

Rika arched an eyebrow at this before scowling at him.

"Of _course, _it's good!" she berated him, annoyed. "Grandma made it, and its your favorite, remember?" Shifting on her pillow, the girl tilted her head at him. "Stupid Muffinhead… Did you hit your head or something from whatever nightmare you had that sent you tearing out of your home?"

_There's that name again…_ Takato squirmed slightly. It seemed no matter what alternate version of Rika he dealt with, she was determined to give him a nickname that involved a noun and his head. He gave a light laugh at that, earning him a quizzical eyebrow from the dark-haired girl.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Just…things," he shrugged. "Um… This might sound like a weird question…Well, probably several…"

"Takato, _every _question you ask is _weird. _What's so different about this one?"

Scratching the side of his head, he considered Rika's words. Even _that _sounded like the very same Rika he knew.

_Which probably means she's still got the same temper. Oh well. Here goes. It was nice knowing you, world._

Meeting her gaze, he decided to throw caution to the wind and spoke.

"Did you dye your hair?"

Rika's brow knotted up in confusion.

"I don't get it."

Now it was Takato's turn to raise an eyebrow at her.

"What's not to get?"

"Your joke. Are you pulling a prank or something?"

"Ah… Do I normally do that in this world?"

"No! I… Wait, what do you mean 'this world?' Start making sense, you Muffinhead!"

_I'm really going to have to ask how I got that nickname…_

"Okay. Um… Can you pretend I'm asking a serious question for a second?" he asked, his eyes pleading. "Please? I'm kind of trying to figure things out here and I'm _really _not sure what's going on. If it helps…pretend I've got amnesia?"

Rika frowned at him, her own confusion not lessening in her eyes, but soon enough she nodded cautiously.

"All right. I'll play along. No, I _didn't _dye my hair." Lifting a hand, she picked at the strand of hair that hung down from in front of her ear. "This is my _natural _color."

_Okay… I guess that I can scratch weird time travel off the list so…alternate dimension? _Takato drummed his fingers against the side of the teacup, his thoughts flurrying about. _Maybe I'm in the digital world and it made a mistake or something with Rika?_

"Okay," he nodded. "And that guy I met outside… That was your dad."

"Oh, for goodness sake… _Yes!" _Rika rolled her eyes in exasperation, seeming particularly irritated by that. "Is this going somewhere?"

"Have you heard of digimon?"

Rika gave him a deadpan look that all but screamed, "Are you an idiot?"

"Right," Takato laughed. "I'm sure you won those tournaments too. Nice to see you're still the Digimon Queen."

Again, the confused frown.

_Uh oh… I guess this means Ryo…_

"What tournaments are you talking about? And Digimon Queen?" Rika gave a derisive _harrumph _at that. "Don't make me laugh. I've got no intention to go conquering the digital world."

Takato's eyes fluttered in rapid succession. "W-Wait! The digital world exists here too?!"

Rika was now looking at him with concern and even alarm. "You must have hit your head harder than I thought. Of _course, _it exists. You should _know _that! We were together at the Rainbow Bridge back when…" She paused, her violet eyes searching his crimson ones before she got up and rounded the table. Takato tracked her with confusion as she settled down next to him. Reaching up, her hands threaded their way through his brown hair, fingers searching for something. The temperature on Takato's face _erupted _and he immediately began to squirm.

"R-Rika! What…?"

"Stop…moving, you _Muffinhead! _I'm just looking for the goose egg you gave yourself when you tumbled out of bed! For goodness sake, I _told _you that you were going to end up hurting yourself the first time I saw that stupid setup and… Will you _stop _already?"

"S-Sorry," Takato stammered out, blushing even more ferociously now. "I'm not…not used to… I mean, I _am! _I mean… Ah…" A nervous laughter emerged from Takato's lips as Rika continued to part his hair, fingers searching for bumps while she gave him a worried look. After a minute of frustrated searching, she finally pressed her hand against his forehead.

"No fever. No bump." Lowering her head so that they were at eye level, she caught his gaze, her expression searching his carefully. "Okay," she said carefully. "No more games, Takato. You're _really _starting to worry me now. If this is a joke, you've had your fun."

"I-It's not a joke! I mean… I don't think it is."

"Huh?"

Takato winced. "Yeah, that came out wrong."

Rika _harrumphed _again. "Well at least _that _part of you hasn't changed," she noted with a mixture of annoyance and relief.

"Sorry." Takato shrugged as Rika leaned back, waiting for his explanation. "I just… Maybe I'm going crazy or something? I just…" He gestured about him meaningfully. "I remember things differently. Things aren't supposed to be like this."

"Like what?" Rika frowned. "Things like my hair and my dad?"

"Yeah," Takato nodded. "Your hair… I remember it was red. And it was long. Done up in a ponytail like…like this." Raising his hands, he fitted them behind his head to show what his meaning. "Real spikey, like a pineapple."

Another deadpan expression from the girl. "If this is some lame attempt at getting me to change my hair…"

_"No!" _Takato exclaimed, causing Rika to jerk back in surprise from the force of his outburst. "I'm serious! Things are _different! _Renamon! Where's Renamon?"

"Rena…?" Rika blinked. "Takato, what are you talking about? What does a Renamon have to do with anything?"  
"Because you're partners!"

A pall of silence fell between them and after a moment, Rika shook her head.

"This is too weird," she said. "What makes you think I'm supposed to be some kind of Digidestined? I'm not."

"Digide…?" Takato dragged a hand over his face. This was becoming too much, too fast. "Not…Tamers?"

"Of course not," Rika said with all the bluntness of a simple _duh._

Takato sat there for a moment, his eyes shimmering as he gazed down at his lap. Getting up, he wandered over to the open wall that looked out over Rika's yard, the girl's eyes following him questioningly.

"Takato?"

He didn't answer right away, his eyes sweeping out over the top of the Nonaka gate, where beyond lay a few visible buildings reaching skyward. Taking a deep breath, he shook himself.

"I'm in another world," he said. "That's the only answer. I must have accidently fallen in or something and replaced the other me."

"Takato, what are you babbling about?" He felt a hand – her hand – come to rest upon his shoulder, turning him towards the girl. Her eyes were once again full of confusion and concern. "Hey, come on. Clue me in here, Muffinhead. What's _really _going on?"

She gave his shoulder a soft squeeze and Takato broke their gaze, feeling his heart clench in his chest.

"I'm…not sure how to say this, but I'm not the Takato you know. Where I'm from there aren't Digidestined. You have red hair and we're both Tamers. You're partnered to Renamon and I'm partnered to Guilmon."

"That fictional digimon you drew when you were twelve?" Rika lifted an eyebrow. Takato blinked at that while her expression softened. "Takato, I know you want to be a Digidestined, but that's not how things work." She gave his shoulder a gentle tug back toward the table. "Come on. Talk to me."

Takato allowed himself to be drawn back to the table, and he sat himself down heavily. Sitting herself down beside him, she took up the teapot and refilled his cup. Steam rose up once more and she lifted it, holding it out for him.

"Drink up," she said, her tone soft. "It'll help."

_What's the point? _he asked himself, but he took a sip anyway. The sharp taste of mint tingled his tongue, and he felt himself become refreshed again, but he wasn't sure if he felt any better for it.

"What can I do to get you to believe me?" he asked, his voice quiet. Rika furrowed her brow at him before glancing away.

"It's…hard to believe," she admitted. "Looking at you, I get the feeling that you really do believe it. That's…" Her hand came to rest over his own, her thumb tracing over his skin affectionately. "That's something I've always liked about you/ You're so easy to read. But you've kind of hit me with a bunch of things that don't make any sense. What proof do you have that you're from some other world?"

"I…don't," he admitted reluctantly. "I don't have my digivice or my goggles or even my cards."

Rika looked at him with amusement. "Cards? Cards of digimon?"

"Yeah." Takato barked a harsh laugh. "Where I'm from they started out as a game we played and it turned out that they were real all along. Our digivices had a slot in the side for them, so we could modify our partners during a fight."

"That sounds useful," Rika grinned. "Everything I've heard says that the Digidestined can't help their partners other than make them digivolve."

"Who are they?" Takato asked. "Does anyone know what their names are?"

Rika shrugged. "All I know is that one of them wears goggles and at least two of them are blonds. Seems like someone's keeping them all hushed up."

"That's really weird," Takato murmured to himself, wondering if they were anything like the Digidestined from the TV show.

_It's definitely not Davis, I know that much for sure,_ he laughed mentally. _I mean, sure he wears goggles, but that's because he really admires Tai, and Tai… I…don't actually know why he wears goggles._

He scratched his cheek. Tai never mentioned watching the show before, but then again, he didn't really talk to Tai either. The two of them walked in completely different social circles.

Silence fell between the two and Takato leaned back, his eyes moving about the room, taking in all its familiarity – the only real similarity that he could see in Rika's house in this world versus the one he knew from his. It struck him as odd that, for all of Rika's differences now, she still turned out largely the same.

_A bit more friendly though, _he thought, blushing a little, finally began to catch on to the feel of Rika's touch, and her gentle caresses over his hand while she hummed under her breath.

Humming.

_Humming._

"Huh. That's the first time you've done that since Locomon."

"Hm? Done what? And what's Locomon?"

_Oh. Right._

"A digimon we were trying to stop," he explained, deciding to keep the details to a minimum. "You sang there for some reason, even though you hated it."

"That other me sounds dumb if she hates singing," Rika _harrumphed _again, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "How close are the two of you?"

"Pretty close," he said, blushing at her touch. "She…uh…wouldn't be caught dead holding my hand though."

Rika's scowl was dark and angry.

_"Really _dumb," she reiterated, her grip tightening. "She doesn't know what she's missing."

"I-I'm sure she's got her reasons," Takato defended. "She kind of has a lot of trust issues."

"Don't know why she wouldn't trust you. Sure, you can be weird and flaky with your mouth, but…" Once again, a tight squeeze around his hand. "…I can't think of a better friend."

_I can think of Renamon for one,_ Takato thought, but he didn't say that out loud and instead watched as she continued to affectionately caress his hand, leaving him to wonder just how close the two of them were in this world.

_Seems…kind of close, _he thought, watching her fingers slip between his and again tighten before releasing. His blush skyrocketed. _Like _really _close. I wonder if she and the other me…_

His thoughts trailed off, his expression falling.

"I need to find a way back home," he said softly. "Maybe if I do that, then you can get your me back."

Rika's hand clenched around his once more, this time even harder than before and her expression screwed itself up tight with emotion, causing Takato to wince against the pressure.

_Really… _Really _close… _he grunted mentally, trying not to cry out in pain.

"You're serious about this," she whispered. _"Really _serious."

"Y-Yeah," the boy nodded quickly, hoping that she would ease up on him. The hurt on the girl's face was palpable and she, with great reluctance, withdrew her hand, looking away and Takato barely restrained a sigh of relief. Again, she began to hum, but this time the musical tune was hard and angry, like she was brewing up a storm. Distantly, the sun outside hid behind a cloud and there was a sudden, yet low gust of wind that caused a set of windchimes to ring.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Takato began, only for Rika to shoot him with a sharp glare that drew him up short.

"Shut up, Muffinhead."

He wanted to smile at how intensely familiar this scene was – having lived through it far too many times unintentionally – but the hurt, angry look in her eyes killed that urge, leaving him with a desire to hug her close and comfort her.

He doubted such a gesture would be appreciated from him however. He wasn't _her _Takato.

Wiping at her eyes, Rika got to her feet.

"Come on," she grunted angrily. "Let's figure this out."

"Wait, what?"

_"Someone _took my Muffinhead!" she snarled. _"My _Takato! I'm not sitting around waiting for him to show up again. I'm coming with you!"

_Now _a small smile tugged at the corners of Takato's lips. Seeing this, Rika glowered at him beneath her dark bangs.

"This _isn't _funny."

"No, it's not. I just…" He shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. It's just…nostalgic seeing you get fired up like this. "It's…" He scratched the back of his head in thought. "How to say it… It's one of the reasons why I always thought you were so awesome in my world. I guess it's nice to see that it's the same here too."

Rika was silent for a moment and she folded her arms over her chest, eyes dark. Once more, the sun outside hid itself behind a passing cloud and the windchimes rang again, though softer than before.

"If this _is _a prank," she began, her voice thick with unspoken wrath, "you're going to be making it up to me for so long you'll have to _marry _me for me to forgive you."

Both of their faces bloomed bright red at that, but Rika's eyes were as swords, unyielding and brooking no argument from him. Takato swallowed.

_O-Oookay… I guess we were _really _close in this world…_

"I-It's a promise to the sunset," he smiled placatingly. Rika's face darkened still further, but she nodded, seemingly satisfied by his words.

"Then let's go."

**###**

"Why are we stopping here?"

Takato paused on the stairs leading up the hill and over at Rika, who regarded him with a questioning gaze.

"This is where I used to hide Guilmon in the early days of my being a Tamer," he explained. "We also found two portals leading to the digital world here."

"And you're thinking one will be there." A statement, not a question. From her tone, she sounded quite skeptical. He couldn't blame her. Even he thought it was a bit of a longshot.

"It can't hurt to make sure before we go to Odaiba, right?"

Odaiba had been Rika's suggestion as digital world activity seemed concentrated there. No doubt a portal of some sort was there.

_"Highton View Terrace was supposed to be an even bigger weak point," _she had said as they set off. _"But that got closed off a couple of years ago. At least, that's what was said on the With the Will forums anyway. There are a few other places we can check out, but that's a big one."_

_ This sure feels like the TV show, _Takato thought, realizing that a fair bit of events Rika referenced lined up with what he remembered watching from the cartoon as a kid, save for a reported attack by a digimon called Ordinemon – not one he ever heard of before, even as a film. He scratched his head at that.

Regarding the names of the Digidestined, Rika didn't know of any, and she didn't recognize any of the names he gave to her.

_I guess I shouldn't be surprised, _he thought. _I mean, Gennai in the show did work to delete a lot of data on the digital world to keep people from discovering it. If this world is anything like the show, then that wouldn't change, right?_

Returning to the stairs, he continued to make his way up them, Rika following closely behind, until they reached the top and were greeted by the sight of the iron gate that led to the old, concrete hut. Smiling at its familiarity, Takato hurried over and opened it up, his skin prickling at the sound of its loud, metal creaking. Behind him, he heard Rika give a light giggle.

"W-What's so funny?" he asked, a bit curious at the way she had laughed, so different from what he was used to from someone who, aside from her dark hair, was every bit the Rika he remembered.

"Just thinking about something funny. This place seems like something you'd find for a hideout or fort. I'll have to remember it for later."

Missing her playful smirk, Takato gave a light laugh of his own.

"Actually, it was Henry who found it after you and I first met. I couldn't keep Guilmon at the bakery, and I needed a place that was hidden enough in case you tried hunting him down again…"

"Wait, hold on. _Hunt _him down?"

"Ahhh…" Takato blanched, realizing what he just said. Whirling about, he held his hands up.

"Hey, don't worry! Things were just different then. My world's version of you didn't stay like that. Really, she's an amazing person! We're actually very good friends!"

Rika crossed her arms together, her eyes narrowed. "You're not selling me on that, Muffinhead. You're saying _I _attacked you and your partner. That's not a ringing endorsement."

"Well…how did you meet your me the first time?"

A blush colored Rika's face just then and she looked away.

"It was…weird," she said quietly, turning her body sideways so she didn't have to look at him.

"Sorry," he said, sensing her discomfort. "I get it if you don't want to talk about it. I mean, my you made me promise not to talk about how I first… Um… Actually… I should probably keep that promise."

"Probably a good idea," Rika _hmphed, _turning back toward him. "But let me take a wild stab at it since we're such 'good friends' in your world and we both seem to be a lot like the other version of us. You didn't happen to have a dream about me did you?"

"Ahhh…" Takato's face colored slightly. "Is…that what I did over here?" he asked evasively.

"I'm taking that as a 'yes,'" Rika smirked in amusement, becoming more at ease. "And yeah, you did. So did I for that matter. We ran into each other after I ran out of a photo shoot my mom forced me in and…" She shifted. "It was a _weird_ day, let's just leave it at that."

Takato scratched the side of his head. "My world's Rika didn't have any dreams about me. She didn't recognize me at all when she first showed up."

Rika seemed a bit saddened by this knowledge. "Our worlds really are pretty different, huh?"

"Yeah," Takato nodded, and outside, he heard the trees swaying gently from a light breeze. The sound felt as though it had sadness tinging it, matching the girl's own feelings.

"So…what are you looking for here?" Rika asked after a moment passed. "Because all I'm seeing right now is concrete floor and no portal to the digital world."

"Well, the portal was buried and Guilmon had to dig it up both times," Takato admitted. "If one is there, there's no way we can get to it without a bulldozer. I guess it's better if we go to Odaiba after all. It's just more of a question of what do we do and where do we go once we're there?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Rika said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. "We've always been pretty good at winging things in this world. What about you?"

"Pretty much the same." Takato barked a harsh laugh and ran a hand through his hair. _Man, it almost feels like I didn't actually leave my world. _"Rika, I…"

"How about we get a move on?" Releasing his shoulder, the dark-haired girl started toward the gate. Takato watched her go for a moment, overcome by a sense of unreality that he found himself wavering on his feet. For the first time, he realized just how much about his situation he had pushed to the side and now it was washing over him all at once. Grabbing hold of himself, he started toward the gate after her. Outside, he heard the sound of wind kicking up again, and then all became dark.

It happened very quickly, like a drawing of a curtain. One minute, the sun was shining bright and warm in a vast, clear track of sky, and in the next complete and utter blackness drowned it all, leaving nothing behind to pierce it.

"What…?" began Rika, only to be silenced by a sudden, violent heaving of the earth beneath her feet, hurling her backward into Takato with a startled cry. He caught her and the two of them fell back into the concrete hut with a hard thud. They clutched hold of each other, waiting for it all to end, but they wouldn't have such luxury as above them, the roof to the hut cracked. The sensation of dust falling upon his skin was all the warning Takato had and, through reflexes trained into him by years of being a Tamer, he grabbed hold of Rika and rolled them out of the way, narrowly avoiding the slab of concrete that came crashing down where they had been. They lay there, staring at the spot they had just vacated as the rocking of the earth subsided before looking at each other.

"Are you all right?" Takato asked, blinking. He couldn't see, though he felt Rika shift against him, indicating that she was fine.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks. What… What the heck is going on? Takato, I can't see a thing!"

Before Takato could say or do anything else, a light, bright and tall, tore through the air, and a familiar set of white paws materialized at the entrance to the hut. Turning his blinking gaze up, his eyes traced along the figure of a gold-furred, bipedal fox with violet armguards, her body framed by a burning pillar.

_"Renamon!"_ his mouth fell open in bewilderment, and the vulpine digimon nodded before starting towards him.

"You are fortunate that I found you just now, Takato," she said, kneeling down and helping the two teens to their feet. "We must hurry and leave this place."

"Wait, you know…?"

"Questions later," the kitsune interrupted, holding up her three fingers in a silencing gesture. "This area isn't safe and will soon be deleted, along with us if we remain."

"Hold on. Deleted…?"

"Later." With a grunt, Renamon hoisted Takato in her arms and her azure gaze fell upon the dark-haired girl, who looked on her in awe. For a moment, her features twisted, as though in pain before taking hold of her as well, tucking both teens under her arms. With a mighty leap, she threw all three of them out of the darkness that enveloped the city and into the door of light.

**###**

Renamon landed in Shinjuku Park, just outside Guilmon's hut as behind them a black mist began to dissipate, one arm empty save for the sparkling shards of light that rose up into the sky. The kitsune gazed at it as she set Takato down on the steps, her eyes a mixture of anger and mourning before she schooled her face back to stillness.

"R-Renamon…" began Takato, hoisting himself up to his knees. "What…?" Alarm broke upon his face as he looked up and he shot to his feet. "Rika! Where's Rika?!"

"Gone," Renamon informed him, rising. "It seems that my fear was correct. She couldn't leave that place after all."

The vulpine digimon closed her eyes, a great well of sadness rising from deep inside her. She held it for a moment before returning her attention to Takato, who looked completely and utterly confused.

"Couldn't leave…? What…What happened back there? Where's Rika? Is she…?" He turned toward the black fog, and almost straight away he started toward it, only for Renamon to grab hold of him and, with sudden swiftness, throw him onto the stairs, pinning him to the hard concrete.

"Do _not _go in there," she said in a deep, angry voice that he hadn't heard from her in years. "If you do, you will most certainly be destroyed."

"But…R-Rika…!"

"Is gone," Renamon interrupted. "That version of her is. I am sorry, Takato. I had hoped…"

The kitsune trailed off, watching as the black particles rose up into the night sky, disappearing against its twinkling starlight until there was nothing left, all the while Takato struggled beneath her, shouting for her to let him go so he could go back and bring Rika back. Finally, he let out a strangled cry and buried his face into the hard surface of the stairs. Relinquishing her grip on the boy, she stepped back to wait for him to get control of himself.

It seemed that would be in a long time coming.

With an angry growl, Takato was on his feet and he turned a deadly, baleful glare at her, his crimson eyes flashing in the moonlight. Much to her surprise, Renamon repressed an urge to flinch, remembering that look once before in the digital world, and what it had created and the devastation it nearly caused. She waited, wondering if Takato would try to strike her. He was not a naturally violent person and though he would fight to defend those he cared about, he often shied away from conflict. Everyone however, she knew had a breaking point, and the shock to his system, she felt, might have just been bad enough for him to behave in a manner wholly outside his character.

After all, who would be in a normal state of mind when someone they loved had seemingly died?

However, as she watched and waited, she saw him take a deep breath and unclench his fists. His shoulders sagging, he hung his head, and when he spoke, his voice was full of utter bitterness and loss.

"What…_happened _back there?"

"I am not altogether sure," Renamon replied carefully. "Strange as it may sound, a dream told me that you were in danger and I came here with all the speed that I could. _Our _Rika is fine, but the other one…" She glanced in the direction of the night sky. "She was already gone long before you met her. What we saw was merely another time. A recording of what came before, and she couldn't leave it."

"That…makes _no _sense!" Takato burst out, his face rising, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I…I felt her! That other Earth… It was just like ours! It was _real!"_

"I don't quite understand it myself," Renamon acknowledged. "But it was what I said. Perhaps you influenced it in some way by your being there. What was the last thing you remember before finding yourself in that world?"

"I…" With an effort, Takato took a deep, shuddering breath. "This is crazy. This is…"

"Takato. Please."

Their eyes met, and after only a moment Takato looked away. Collapsing onto the stairs, he pressed his hands against his face.

"I just went to bed. I fell asleep and that was it. What… What does that have to do with anything?"

"Dreams…" Renamon murmured, her eyes thoughtful. "In a dream, I was told you were in danger, and your dreams have had…_powerful _effects in the past."

She frowned, thinking on her own dream. In it, there had been a figure, but she couldn't for the life of her recall much about them. Even now, it felt as though the memory had become hazy and was rapidly dissolving like the black fog from before.

While she couldn't speak for the other digimon of their group, for herself, that was abnormal.

"Rika's _really _all right?" Takato asked, his voice hoarse. Renamon saw that he was trembling. The experience of losing even an alternate version of her – a recording really – had badly shaken him.

"Yes," Renamon nodded. "She should be here shortly."

At that, Takato seemed to relax and his breathing became easier. "We…We should really figure out what was going on…"

"I believe you should get some rest first," Renamon began, only to be interrupted by the twitch of her ears, having caught the sound of footsteps rapidly coming up the steps. Turning, she saw the familiar figure of Rika Nonaka – _Her _Rika – running up the stairs, crimson hair tied up in a ponytail flashing in the moonlight. Her violet eyes swept up at Renamon questioningly before taking note of Takato, seated on the stairs, tearstained eyes widening at the sight of her.

"Takato!" she called out, hurrying up the steps, and through their mental link, Renamon could sense the girl's alarm over her friend's emotional appearance.

"R-Rika!" the boy stammered out, staggering to his feet. Before Rika could react, her friend ran down to her and swept her up in his arms. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right!"

"Wha…?" Rika grunted in surprise as she was pulled tight against him. By startled reflex, she found herself almost pulling away before correcting herself and drawing her friend to her in return, the tremors she felt running in his arms informing her that something had happened that greatly upset him and that he needed her reassurance before anything else. "Hey, what happened?" Taking a quick look around, her heart thudded hard in her chest and her eyes shot over to Renamon. "Where's Guilmon? Is he…?"

"Guilmon is fine and should still be at the bakery," the vulpine digimon replied, descending down the stairs toward them. "This will take some time to explain I feel."

Drawing back from Rika, Takato nodded. "We've got to let Yamaki know what's going on," he said, sounding more in control of himself. Rika eyed him carefully in response, and through their shared link, Renamon sensed that she was caught between her distrust of Yamaki and her concern over her friend. Approaching her, she laid a paw on Rika's shoulder and the two shared a look. No words needed to be said, not even mentally.

Taking out her cellphone, Rika pulled up Yamaki's number and hit the call button.

**###**

Once upon a time, in an age so long ago that time had long forgotten it existed, there had been a man named Maglor. Not 'man' per se, the name that had once described humanity as a whole, but _a_ man nonetheless. That name however was forfeit, and in the turning of the millennia, from the fall of ancient kingdoms that heralded the fading of his time and the domination of humanity upon this Earth – this middle realm – he took on new names, blending into the societies and realms that sprang up in their place. Egyptian, Babylon, Persia, Rome, France, Britain, China and Japan and many others. Long were his travels and wide, even to places where the stars were strange, but no matter where he went, he took a name for the time he dwelt there. Ten years or so, and rarely more. Little more than a blink of an eye from his perspective.

Now he went by the name of Kotone, and had done so for a little longer than normal. _Just in case _she _needed to find me, _he told himself. _Just in case._

And so he continued to tell himself as the world changed around him, entering a new age without even knowing it had happened. He felt it though, just as he felt the cool breeze from the museum's air conditioning upon his skin. There was always something he caught. Something in the water and the earth deep down below wherein the ruins of the past lay. Something in the air he smelled; a fragrance perhaps from which he scented something from afar.

Passing amidst the vast collection of artifacts, he paused on one, a battered book bound in red leather.

He remembered reading about it once while on a long train ride; how it had been found in the mud and translated by its discoverer. Many articles had since been written about the story of the 'kuduk' people – a self-described 'little folk' believed to be of similar stature to the now extinct _Homo floresiensis _genus, but that first memory of its discovery stayed with him. He wept then. _It is not all forgotten, _he had thought between his tears, and not for the first time did he desire companionship as he had of old with which to share openly his stories and songs with.

It would be close to a century since that his wish would be granted to him, though not in a way he could have predicted.

He doubted any one of his kind could have predicted a place as fantastical as the digital world.

_Did any of the Valar? Did Manwë? Did Mandos? _

Of course, no answer came to him. They never did, not even in his dreams. As ever, he remained in the dark on such matters. The only certainty he felt for anything was that, given enough time, he might discover whatever doom the future had in store for him. At the very least, time stood by his side on that matter. He had all the time in the world, so long as it existed.

_Still no fading at least,_ he thought, flexing his hand, grimacing as an old, stiff pain, long dimmed by time, made itself known deep within his nerves before slowly vanishing into the background. Sighing, he moved on from the book and to a broken piece of black stone, discovered somewhere in Europe just west of the Balkans before leaving that one behind too.

The beeping sound coming from his pocket broke him out of his reverie. Reaching within, he drew out a gold-trimmed device, arc-shaped with a center screen glowing brightly. Pressing the central button beneath the screen, an arrow swung around wildly before settling on a specific direction. He nodded to himself before setting off, all thoughts of the past behind him for now.

"So you've returned," he said under his breath, pocketing his D-Arc as he strode hurriedly toward the museum's exit.

11


End file.
